What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k median).

Hopkinton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ashland	Hopkinton
People
Population	2,183Lowest	6,037Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average	45±2.8Highest 4% above NH
	Hopkinton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%	18.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Hopkinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%	19.9%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Hopkinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	58.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	7.9%±4.4Highest NH: 6%
	Hopkinton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH	$137,477±$21kHighest 39% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$506,900±$54kHighest 26% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$1,270±$129Highest 15% below NH
	Hopkinton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	42.4%±6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Hopkinton and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1968Lowest 11 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% below NH	22 minLowest 17% below NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.8%±8.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#28 of 120 in NH
School district	Ashland School District	Hopkinton School District
High school in town	None in town	Hopkinton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.